Mick Cornett

Mick Cornett (born July 16, 1958) is the current mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, having served in that position since 2004. He is only the fourth mayor in Oklahoma City history to be elected to three terms^[1] and the first to be elected to four terms.^[2] He also serves as President of The United States Conference of Mayors and served as national President of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO). U.S. Conference of Mayors.^[1] He also served as Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Urban Economic Affairs Committee until 2007. He is a Republican.

Early life

Cornett is a native of Oklahoma City. He attended Putnam City High School, graduating in 1976.^[1] He then attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a journalism degree in TV news.^[1]

Journalism career

After graduating, Cornett worked for twenty years in news and sports as a reporter, anchor, and manager in Oklahoma City.^[1] As a reporter, he covered city politics from 1997 to 1999. In 1999 he started his own video production company, Mick Cornett Video Productions, specializing in jobs for the corporate and legal sectors. Cornett is the co-host of The Verdict, a local Oklahoma City television show discussing legal and social issues.

City council

Cornett was elected to the Oklahoma City Council in 2001.^[1]

Mayoralty

Cornett became the Mayor of Oklahoma City on 2 March 2004. He was re-elected to a second term on 7 March 2006 by an 87.6% margin, the largest in city history. In 2010, he became only the fourth mayor in Oklahoma City history to be elected to a third term, defeating Steve Hunt by gaining 58% of the vote.^[1] In 2014, he became the first mayor to be elected to a fourth term, defeating Ed Shadid with 65.7% of the vote.^[2]

Cornett served as an Executive Vice President of Ackerman McQueen from 2009 to 2011, during which the Oklahoma Ad Club named him 2010's "Ad Man of the Year." Cornett came in for some criticism for potential conflict of interest as a mayor serving as an employee of a private corporation.^[3]

Cornett received an MBA, specializing in management, entrepreneurship and leadership, from NYU Stern School of Business in July 2011.^[4]

Cornett's most notable achievements as Mayor include the successful lobbying that resulted in Oklahoma City's first major league sports team, the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association, and the passage of MAPS 3, a $777 million quality-of-life infrastructure program for Oklahoma City.

In 2013, Cornett served as one of six selection committee members for the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence.^[5]

Economic growth

Cornett is a proponent for progressive issues/initiatives such as rapid and mass transit, economic diversification, urban renaissance, and civic beautification. Neighborhoods such as Asia District, Uptown, MidTown, Capitol Hill, the Eastside, and others have experienced an economic revitalization during his tenure.

Downtown Oklahoma City has experienced a continued renaissance since 1993, earning Oklahoma City the moniker "Renaissance City". Among many successful ventures, the historic Skirvin Hotel was renovated and reopened under the Hilton banner in February 2007 after nearly two decades of abandonment.^[6]

In June 2007, the U.S. Census announced its estimate that Oklahoma City had grown in city population to over 547,000 residents; over 1.26 percent between July 2005 and July 2006. Since the official Census in 2000, Oklahoma City had grown over eight percent according to the Census Bureau, making it the 12th fastest-growing large city (over 500,000 in population) in the United States.

Other recent initiatives have also included his chairmanship of the "Core to Shore" committee of city leaders, and continued job growth in greater Oklahoma City. Led by almost 2,000 jobs that Dell brought to Oklahoma City, the greater Oklahoma City area gained over 72,000 new jobs in Cornett's first five years in office.^[1] During the Great Recession, compared to other metropolitan areas in the United States, Oklahoma City had one of the lowest unemployment rates, suffered one of the least severe economic downturns, and experienced one of the largest recoveries afterward.^{[7][8][9][10]}

MAPS 3

In December 2009, Cornett led the way to successful voter passage of the MAPS 3 initiative, which includes eight quality-of-life capital projects to be constructed in Oklahoma City over a decade.^[1]

MAPS for Kids

One of Cornett's top priorities has been the implementation of MAPS for Kids. That initiative is responsible for rebuilding or renovating every building in the inner-city school district.

NBA teams

Cornett is widely credited with bringing the National Basketball Association to Oklahoma City when Hurricane Katrina forced the New Orleans Hornets to relocate in 2005. Cornett's behind-the-scenes work prior to Katrina put Oklahoma City in position to become the temporary home. For two seasons, the team played 35 games annually at the Ford Center.

On December 20, 2007, Cornett announced an initiative to renovate Ford Center in hopes of securing an NBA team. The initiative went to the voters of Oklahoma City on March 4, 2008 and passed by a 62% margin. On July 2, 2008, it became official that the NBA's SuperSonics franchise, headed by local businessman Clay Bennett, were relocating to Oklahoma City for the 2008–2009 season.

"This City Is Going On A Diet"

Inspired by his own 42-pound weight loss,^[1] on December 31, 2007, Cornett put Oklahoma City on a "diet", launching the web site thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. He appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote the initiative on January 17, 2008. He also teamed up with Taco Bell and local restaurants to promote healthy menu choices. This initiative garnered Cornett an invitation to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2010 State of the Union address.

Awards and distinctions

In 2009, he was named one of the top 10 most powerful Oklahomans by the Oklahoma City Friday newspaper, ranking ahead of the state's two U.S. Senators.^[11]

In November 2010, Governing Magazine named Cornett one of their "2010 Public Officials of the Year" and put him on the cover.^[12]

Also in 2010, he was named runner-up of the World Mayor prize, and also the recipient of the World Mayor Project's 2010 World Mayor Commendation, in recognition of the economic and civic progress of Oklahoma City.^[13][14]

In 2012, Newsweek named Cornett one of the five most innovative mayors in the United States.^[15]

Cornett was the recipient of the 2013 Oklahoma Mayor of the Year Award, presented by the Mayors Council of Oklahoma of the Oklahoma Municipal League.^[16]

Other political activities

On May 11, 2006, Cornett announced that he would be running to fill the seat in the United States House of Representatives vacated by Ernest Istook. On August 22, 2006, he faced Lt. Governor Mary Fallin in a GOP run-off election. Fallin won, and was elected to Congress in the general election.

Following Fallin's decision to run for governor in 2010, Cornett was widely considered a possible candidate for the seat, but he decided to run for re-election as mayor.^[17]

In 2008, Cornett was scheduled to address the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, but his speech was canceled when reaction to Hurricane Gustav suspended the convention. He returned and addressed the 2012 Republican National Convention.^[18]

In 2010, Cornett's Chief of Staff, David Holt, was elected to the Oklahoma Senate. In 2012, Holt authored the book Big League City: Oklahoma City's Rise to the NBA, which chronicled Cornett's efforts to bring the NBA to Oklahoma City.

Personal life

In 2011, Cornett filed for divorce from his wife of 32 years, Lisa, citing "total irreconcilable incompatibility."^[19] The couple has three grown sons: Mike, Casey and Tristan.^[1] Cornett married his second wife, Terri (Walker) Cornett, on November 26, 2014.^[20]

See also

• List of mayors of the largest 50 US cities

References

• CityMayors.com profile
• About The Verdict. URL accessed 15 March 2006.
• ArenaFan Articles by Mick Cornett

External links

• Mick Cornett at TED
  

Mayors of cities with populations exceeding 100,000 in Oklahoma
Mick Cornett (R) (Oklahoma City) G. T. Bynum (R) (Tulsa) Cindy Rosenthal (Norman) Dave Wooden (Broken Arrow)
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